In Palisades Park, New Jersey, leaves crunch underfoot, and hawks circle overhead. At the overlook, a sheer cliff face drops down to the Hudson. Across the river, you can see as far east as the World’s Fair Globe in Queens, as far north as Yonkers, and as far south as Brooklyn. A pictorial sign points out recognizable landmarks.

Birders congregate here on Sunday afternoons, bringing with them folding chairs and tables where they perch for hours. They peer through enormous lenses up at the sky and at lunch time can often be found holding half-eaten sandwiches in one hand. A flock themselves, they call encouragements and suggestions to each other upon sighting the graceful beasts that crowd the sky.

In New York City, fall starts with a whisper, just a breath of a breeze that blows away the summer stickiness. Green leaves sparkle under the bright sun and blue sky as October ushers in cool dry days.

But leave the city to be reminded what fall is: a rebirth, a freshness that summer’s heat denied us. A new freedom to reveal your true colors in vibrant, exuberant, unexpected shades of brilliance. Marigold, crimson, ochre, orange, and lime yellow hues await your full expression. You don’t have to be the same old green anymore. You don’t have to be the same as everyone else anymore.

So take a hike, wander through the forest, and be renewed. After all, is fall the last lingering warmth before winter hibernation? Or is it an energy source that can ignite creative flames in you that will burn all winter long?